I still have a hang over from making a Cherry Oreo Cheese Cake for a colleague who just recently celebrated her birthday. Since the kids didn't have their share on that piece of indulgence, I promised them that I would make a separate one just for their own consumption. So I fulfilled that promise last night by making these truly scrumptious mini cheese cakes! I've been wanting for so long to have my hands on these heavenly goodies and the right timing just came in perfectly. I was in the mood to de-stress and celebrate for the coming of the weekend. As soon as I finished decorating these miniature cheese cakes, I can imagine another colleague exclaiming - "this is a moment in your lips, a lifetime in your hips" kind of taste. But, I would say a mini serving won't hurt a bit. So it's just right to occasionally reward ourselves with sinful yet more than satisfying sweet treats like this one.

 



I'm beginning to like cheese cake preparation more than the usual cakes. I realized that it's much simpler and more straight forward to prepare than the later. There are also less ingredients to weigh and mix. These mini cheese cakes are perfect for parties and gatherings. I'm sure kids and adults alike won't be able to resist its goodness. Just look how cute they are! Isn't it enough to entice a hungry appetite?  

Why do baked goods oftentimes regarded as unhealthy? We normally associate them with high fat, loaded with sugar, too much carbohydrates and "what have you not". Yet, ironically, the more we are inclined to have them most of the time. Isn't the remark "sinfully good" a favorite of many? Well, to lessen this guilty pleasure in consuming those goodies, why not balance it with something more favourable to your health?

This is actually what this muffin recipe is all about. I've adapted this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa - Ina Garten. Originally, the recipe calls for 3 types of berries - blueberry, strawberry and raspberry. But since my kids are slighthly averse with sour notes, I only used blueberry and strawberry hence, the name Duo of Berries Muffins. It's less sweet, soft in texture and the crust on the top makes a  nice distinguishing taste feature.



Ten days to go before Christmas! Are you in the holiday mood yet? With the festive mood around, I'm sure everyone is going crazy these days. As for me, I've yet to  finalize my Christmas Eve Dinner Menu. While I've yet to accomplish that, I recently prepared a sort of Christmassy Dinner at home for a friend.

 

Happy Labor Day everyone! It's another long weekend and I'm spending it with much gusto. Short breaks such as this, is an opportunity to be had. It's actually a welcome respite from the usual busy weekdays. I had so much time to kill today that I thought of consuming it well in the kitchen. Hence, as usual, I rummaged through some cookbooks and my wandering eyes led me to Dave Lieberman's Dave's Dinners. As I perused his cookbook,  his Chocolate Cake recipe instantly caught my curiousity. He named it his Best Chocolate Cake Ever. Need he say more? Of course, that's more than enough reason to give it a whip. So here's how my take on his recipe turned out.

Overall, indeed it's chocolatey. However, I was expecting for a more decadent cake. It's moist but I was looking for something more. Maybe because I used a low fat yogurt instead of a full-fat one. Other than that, I still enjoyed a scrumptious nibble out of this cake.

What you need:

Cake:

3 large eggs

1 cup full fat yogurt

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1 cup hot water

Ganache:

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips (I used Hershey's)

How to make:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and yogurt. Beat in the melted butter and vanilla. Gradually beat in the sugar until fully incorporated.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder baking soda, and salt until homogenous.

4. Mix the dry ingredients into the previously prepared batter in two steps alternating with the hot water and end with the dry ingredients.

5. Divide the batter between two 9-inch non stick round cake pans. Bake for 25 mins, until set. Allow to cool completely.

6. Make the ganache. Bring the cream to a boil in a saucepan and remove from heat. Add the chocolate chips and whisk until dissolved into the cream and the mixture is creamy and thick. Allow to cool.

7. Put one layer of the cake onto a serving plate and pour half of the ganache on top of it. Cover with the other layer of cake and pour the remaining ganache on top. Smoothen the surface. Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour for it to set. Using a fork, make a swirl on top of the ganache before serving for an added appeal.

For the longest time, I've been planning to make a pavlova cake at home. But for some reasons, I can't seem to find a convincing recipe to work on. After much research and browsing, I've settled down on a Gale Gand's recipe. I was just actually looking for a good recipe for the meringue base as I have already planned my toppings. The original recipe calls for red wine vinegar but I substituted it with balsamic vinegar instead. There are a lot of variations available for this New Zealand and Australia's favorite dessert. However, the meringue base is key that's why it can't be compromised. Initially, it may seemed to be a bit tricky to make. But as soon as you get the hang of it, it's very easy to do.

1/2 cup egg whites, at room temperature (from 4 eggs)

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp light brown sugar

2 kiwi fruits, peeled and halved

12 strawberries, trimmed & halved

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in bowl until foamy. Add the granulated sugar, cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla. Continue whipping until it becomes stiff, smooth and glossy (about 8 mins).

3. Spoon the egg whites into an 8-inch non stick round baking pan. Smoothen the top and bake in the oven for 10 mins.

4. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees F and bake until the meringue has puffed up and cracked on the top and the surface is lightly browned (about 45 mins).

5. Turn off the oven, prop the oven door open, let the pavlova cool in the oven at least 30 mins to room temperature.

6. Whip the cream and brown sugar together until stiff. Spoon it in the center of the cooled pavlova and spread out to within 1/2-inch of the edge. Arrange the slices of kiwi and strawberries on top.

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 apples, peeled, cored & sliced into wedges

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat bottom and side of an 8-inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons butter; sprinkle bottom with brown sugar. In a medium bowl, toss apples with lemon juice; arrange in prepared pan in circles.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; set aside

3. With an electric mixer, beat remaining 8 tablespoons butter with granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until incorporated. With mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture in three parts and the milk in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

4. Spoon batter over apples in pan; smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack, at least 30 minutes.

5. Run a knife around edge of pan, and invert cake onto a rimmed platter.

This recipe was lifted from Martha Stewart's.

note: Don't use a melted butter, just room temperature otherwise, the cake will break.  

When it comes to having  the best tasting mango in the world, a number of countries want to claim the crown. In Asia alone, it will be a contention among countries like the Philippines, India, Thailand, Indonesia just to name a few. Having tried the varieties of these countries, I would say that Philippines definitely top the list. It got the right balance of sweetness, juicy and succulent. Its quality is definitely world class. So imagine my excitement and delight when a collegue generously shared some fresh mangoes from her recent trip to the Philippines. And so fortunate I was, that the mangoes even came from Zambales. A town that's made popular for its sweet and delicious mangoes. Instead of consuming the fruits as it is, I immediately thought of making a mango cake out of it. Still fresh from a Blueberry Crumb Cake indulgence (another cake recipe which I've yet to blog about), I decided to make another version with no less than the best tasting mango in Asia. The recipe is actually a take off from Ina Garten's Blueberry Crumb Cake. I just removed some of the ingredients to suit my own liking and replace the fruit with mangoes.